1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to compact air conditioners for automobiles, and more particularly to a compact air conditioner for automobiles, which is capable of reducing its installation space, facilitating the connection of its refrigerant supply conduit to its heater core, and improving its performance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air conditioners for automobiles each include a cooling unit and a heating unit. The cooling unit cools the interior of an automobile by discharging into the interior of the automobile cool air that is produced by heat exchange between air blown by a cooling fan and refrigerant passing through an evaporator, during a process in which refrigerant is compressed by a compressor operated by the power of an engine, transmitted to an condenser, condensed in the condenser by the forcible blowing of the refrigerant fan, passes through a receiver dryer, an expansion valve and the evaporator, and is returned to the compressor. The heating unit heats the interior of an automobile by discharging to the interior of the automobile warm air that is produced by heat exchange between air blown by a cooling fan and coolant passing through a heater core, during a process in which the coolant is returned to an engine through the heater core.
These air conditioners may be classified into three types: three-piece type air conditioners each comprised of a blower unit, an evaporator unit and a heater unit, semi-center type air conditioners in which an evaporator unit and a heater unit are integrated into a single body and a blower unit is appended to the single body, and center type air conditioners in which a blower unit, an evaporator unit and a heater unit are integrated into a single body. Currently, the semi-center type air conditioners and the center type air conditioners are generally used because of the advantages of their relatively small installation spaces and relatively simple structures.
Of the air conditioners, a semi-center type air conditioner is described as an example.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, an evaporator 91 is positioned on the upstream side of the interior flow passage of an air conditioner housing 9, while a heater core 92 is positioned on the downstream side of the interior flow passage. A blower casing (not shown) is arranged on the entrance of the air conditioner housing 9, and a blower fan (not shown) operated by a motor (not shown) is arranged in the blower casing. Indoor and outdoor unit suction openings (not shown) are formed on the upper portion of the blower casing. The indoor and outdoor unit suction openings are opened and closed by the operation of doors (not shown). As a result, the air is changed to cool or warm air through heat exchange while passing through the evaporator 91 or heater core 92 in such a way that air flows into the interior of the blower casing by the suction force generated by the rotation of the blowing fan operated by the motor, and flows through the interior passage of the air conditioner housing 9. A defrost vent 93 connected to a defrost duct (not shown) for eliminating frost formed on the windows of an automobile by guiding discharged air to the windows of an automobile, a face vent 94 connected to a vent duct (not shown) for guiding discharged air to the upper portion of the interior of the automobile, and a floor vent 95 connected to a floor duct (not shown) for guiding discharged air to the lower portion of the interior of the automobile are arranged one after another on the exit of the air conditioner housing 9 behind the heater core 92. The vents 93, 94 and 95 can be controllably and selectively opened or closed by doors 931, 941 and 951 according to cooling and heating modes.
Meantime, the heater core 92 is situated to occupy the lower portion of the interior passage of the air conditioner housing 9. A temperature regulating door 96 is positioned in front of the heater core 92 (that is, between the evaporator 91 and the heater core 92) to regulate the degree of opening of a portion of the blowing passage toward the heater core 92 and a portion of the interior passage of the air conditioner housing 9 over the heater core 92. Accordingly, when the temperature regulating door 96 blocks the blowing passage toward the heater core 92, air having passed through the evaporator 91 does not pass through the heater core 92. Instead, the air detours the heater core 92, and is discharged through the open vents of the vents 93, 94 and 95 into the interior of an automobile, thereby cooling the interior of the automobile. On the other hand, when the temperature regulating door 96 blocks the portion of the interior passage of the air conditioner housing 9 over the heater core 92, all air having passed through the evaporator 91 passes through the heater core 92, and is discharged through the open vents of the vents 93, 94 and 95 into the interior of an automobile, thereby heating the interior of the automobile.
However, in the conventional air conditioner, since the temperature regulating door 96 is situated between the evaporator 91 and the heater core 92 and the blowing passage is provided behind the heater core 92 to blow air having passed through the heater core 92 toward the vents 93, 94 and 95, the thickness W1 of the air conditioner housing 9 is increased, resulting in occupation of a great interior space of an automobile. Additionally, the heater core 92 is inserted into the air conditioner housing 9 through one side of the air conditioner housing 9, so a refrigerant supply conduit (not shown) for supplying refrigerant to the heater core 92 and a refrigerant return conduit (not shown) for returning refrigerant discharged from the heater core 92 to an engine (not shown) should be connected to the heater core 92 through a complicated path from one side of the air conditioner housing 9. Accordingly, the installation of the air conditioner on an automobile is difficult due to the occupation of a great exterior space of the air conditioner housing by refrigerant supply and return conduits, manufacturing costs are increased due to employment of long conduits, and the connection of conduits is difficult due to the connection of conduits to the heater core 92 within a narrow space.
The temperature regulating door 96 is shaped in the form of a plate. Accordingly, when air having passed through the evaporator 91 passes through the heater core 92, or detours the heater core 92 and is blown toward the vents 93, 94 and 95, the air collides against the temperature regulating door 96, thereby hindering the air from smoothly flowing to the vents 93, 94 and 95 and causing a backward flow. Accordingly, great noise occurs and the amount of blown air is reduced, so cooling and heating performance is deteriorated.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a compact air conditioner for automobiles, which is capable of reducing its installation space in an automobile, facilitating connection of a refrigerant supply conduit to a heater core, and improving its cooling and heating performance.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a compact air conditioner for automobiles, comprising: an evaporator positioned on the upstream side of the interior flow passage of an air conditioner; a heater core positioned on the downstream side of the interior flow passage; a defrost vent selectively opened and closed by a defrost door, and positioned in a mixing chamber that is situated in the exit of the interior flow passage; a face vent opened and closed by a face door; a floor vent divided by a second partition positioned behind the heater core, and selectively opened and closed by a floor door; a first partition positioned between the evaporator and the heater core, and provided with a first blowing opening for allowing air to detour the heater core and a second blowing opening for blowing air to the heater core; a temperature regulating door for regulating the degree of opening of the blowing openings, the temperature regulating door being supported on both sidewalls of the air conditioner housing by its two side support arms; a heater chamber containing the heater core, the heater chamber being defined by the first and second partitions and a pair of side partitions, being open at its bottom and communicating with the second blowing opening; and a pair of side blowing passages formed between each side partition and an interior wall of the air conditioner housing.
The compact air conditioner may further comprise a heater core inserting hole, the heater core inserting hole being formed on a front wall of the air conditioner housing at a position under the evaporator so as to allow the heater core to be removably inserted into the heater chamber.
The refrigerant supply and return conduits may be connected to the heater core through the heater core inserting hole.
The heater core may be horizontally inserted into the heater chamber.
The first partition may be formed to be arcuate, a door plate of the temperature regulating door may be formed to be arcuate correspondingly to the first partition, and a degree of opening of the first and second blowing openings may be selectively regulated according to an angle of rotation of the door plate that is rotated around the support arms.